The Day That Changed Los Angeles: Two Years to the Death of Kobe Bryant
Exactly two years have passed since the catastrophic disaster in Southern California, in which basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people perished. Despite the time that has passed since the great tragedy, it seems that many are still struggling to come to terms with Bryant’s death
The United States today (Wednesday) marks two years since the helicopter crash in Calabash that claimed the lives of nine people, including basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
Although two years have passed since that tragic tragedy, many in the United States are unable to digest the death of someone perceived as an immortal figure.
Kobe and Gigi Bryant watch the Lakers game in December 2019, less than a month before their tragic deaths (Photo: Getty Images)
The unimaginable tragedy occurred on the morning of Sunday, January 26, 2020. For many weeks, the weather throughout Southern California was quite comfortable, with no rains falling in the area. But that morning, a working layer of clouds covered southern California.
Bryant, less than four years after his retirement, sought to attend the Mamba Academy in the city of Thousand Oaks, where a game of the team he coached and in which his daughter Giana played was to take place. To save long hours on the roads, the basketball legend made sure to fly in a helicopter all the members of his entourage – his 13-year-old daughter Jiana, 13-year-old teammate Alyssa Altobli, her parents John and Kerry Altobli, 38-year-old assistant coach Christina Mauser And another actress, Peyton Chester and her mother Sarah.
Two years ago, we lost a legend.
Mamba forever pic.twitter.com/TNUH3eh8Zf
– SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 26, 2022
In the early hours of that Sunday morning, the eight arrived at John Wayne Airport in Orange County and met Sikorsky S-76 helicopter pilot USA Zubian. After takeoff, the helicopter headed north and flew over the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena), the home hall of the Lakers where Bryant has won five championships and countless individual titles.
Los Angeles marks two years since Kobe Bryant’s death (Photo: AP)
In the area of the Los Angeles Zoo, the helicopter was waiting for approval from the flight inspectors. Eventually, permission was obtained to continue flying north and turn west over Route 118. In a conversation between the pilot and the control tower at Buen-Nice Airport, it was explained that the helicopter was flying under Special Vision Flight (SVFR) rules. At that time, the Los Angeles Police Department helicopter fleet and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office were grounded due to poor visibility conditions.
The conversation with the control tower also shows that when entering the valley area, the helicopter was 1,400 feet (c. 425 m) high and the height of the clouds was 1,100 feet (c. 335 m). A few minutes later, the helicopter turned toward Route 101 and flew over West Valley.
Two years ago today, the world lost Kobe and Gianna Bryant pic.twitter.com/7Fd12A7RQS
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2022
At 9:45 a.m., the pilot contacted the SoCal Center, the body responsible for flights in Southern California, and asked for follow-up. He was told that he was too low to be monitored by a radar, and that he was asked to climb to an altitude of 2,400 feet (c. 730 m) to get out of the clouds and be under surveillance. According to sources involved in the investigation, the helicopter did begin to climb to a height, but less than a minute later it fell to the ground and collided with a mountainside near Kalves.
At 9:47 a.m., the first reports of the crash were received at the police emergency center.
Not just Kobe and his daughter: 7 people were killed in the disaster
Bryant was an inspirational model for an entire generation of basketball players. He was born in Philadelphia and began his professional career in 1996 when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. He played until 2016 and won five championships and two Olympic gold medals. He even won the League Outstanding Player (MVP) Award in 2008, and twice the Finals Series Outstanding Player Award. He was selected to the All-Star Game 18 times (16 seasons in a row) and even won the ring competition in 1997.
In 2001 he married Vanessa, and the couple gave birth to four daughters: in January 2003 Natalia was born, in May 2006 Gianna was born, in December 2016 Bianca was born and in June 2019 their daughter Capri was born.
Family is Forever pic.twitter.com/OkjOI6oplm
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2022
In the last years before their deaths, the relationship between Kobe and Gianna has shifted to parquet. When fans met Kobe around Los Angeles, they asked him the same question: “When will you make a son to have an heir?”. But the basketball legend has always pointed to Gianna as a successor, and he even estimated that one day she would play in the WNBA, the women’s basketball league.
Kobe said Giana dreams of playing basketball at the University of Connecticut, where she plays for the senior women’s basketball team in the United States. She attended Harbor Day School in Newport Beach and played at her father’s basketball academy.
Illustration (Photo: Getty Images)
There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant was the most famous man killed in a helicopter, but it is important to remember that he is not the only one and next to him and his daughter seven other people were also killed. As mentioned, three of the victims of the accident at Calabas belonged to the Altobelli family: 13-year-old Alyssa, who played with Gianna in the same team, and her 56-year-old parents John and Kerry. The family also lives in Newport Beach, and John has coached the Orange Coast College baseball team for nearly three decades.
According to the college website, he has led the baseball team to four championships and more than 700 victories during the 27 years he has coached. Nate Johnson, John’s assistant coach and friend, praised him and his family after the tragedy: “He was one of the best people I’ve ever met. If your son played on the team, he was like his son. He treated the coaching staff as brothers, and really everyone. Working with him was like family to him. “
Christina Mauser, 38, was personally selected by Kobe to serve as the basketball team’s assistant coach, and so she was in a helicopter at the time of the fatal accident.
After his wife’s death, Matthew posted a message on Facebook in which he wrote: “The children and I are Russian, we have lost our wonderful wife and mother.” The next day he was interviewed for the show “Today Show” and told of his hard feelings: “It’s awful, I have three small children and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate life without their mother.”
On the fact that the basketball legend chose his wife to serve as an assistant coach: “He chose her because she was amazing, and she had a great understanding when it came to basketball. When she was selected I was so proud of her and she was so happy.” Christina left behind three children aged 11, 9 and 3.
The heavy disaster also claimed the lives of Sarah Chester and her daughter Peyton, who also played on the basketball team at Bryant’s Academy. Riley Chester, Sarah’s son and Peyton’s brother, praised them: “To the most amazing mom and sister in the world: Rest in peace. I love you guys, ‘Pei Pei’ and Mom,” he wrote on his Instagram account. As mentioned, along with the eight passengers, Ara Zubian, a helicopter pilot with extensive experience who also served as an instructor at a flight school, was also killed.
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